Tiia Woods, a 47-year-old from Jacksonville, Florida, has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Julie R. Rubin to 74 months in federal prison. Woods will also serve three years of supervised release. The sentence comes as a result of Woods's involvement as one of the key organizers in a Maryland unemployment insurance fraud scheme, which resulted in approximately $3,296,725 in losses to victims.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland Kelly O. Hayes announced the sentencing, alongside Special Agents in Charge Troy W. Springer from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General and William J. DelBagno from the FBI's Baltimore Field Office.
According to court records, from June 2020 through at least May 2021, Woods and her co-conspirators engaged in activities to fraudulently obtain money through false claims related to unemployment insurance. Woods utilized personal identifiable information from real individuals to submit fraudulent claims to the Maryland Department of Labor.
The benefits, originally intended to support those unemployed or underemployed during the COVID-19 national emergency, were diverted by Woods and her associates for personal use. Woods provided instructions to her accomplices, Tyshawna Davis and Devante Smith, on how to file and expedite these bogus claims. Devante Smith has already been sentenced to 54 months in prison for his part in the criminal activities.
This fraudulent scheme took advantage of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which was enacted in March 2020 to provide emergency financial support to those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act expanded the eligibility for unemployment benefits, extending assistance to self-employed workers, independent contractors, and others who typically would not qualify.
The U.S. Department of Justice has established a District of Maryland Strike Force, one of five across the U.S., to focus on prosecuting schemes related to the CARES Act and other pandemic relief frauds. These strike forces employ collaborative efforts by law enforcement agencies to pinpoint and prosecute significant cases of fraud related to pandemic relief funds.
U.S. Attorney Hayes praised the efforts of both the Department of Labor's Office of Inspector General and the FBI, as well as Bank of America's Fraud Rings and Analytics team, for their roles in the investigation. Thanks were also extended to Assistant U.S. Attorneys Evelyn Lombardo Cusson and Harry M. Gruber for their prosecutorial work.
Further details on the Department of Justice's response to the pandemic, as well as reporting mechanisms for attempted COVID-19 related fraud, are available on the Department's website.